Bridget McSheffrey was born on January 30, 1867, the daughter of Michael McSheffrey and Margery McLaughlin.
On July 17, 1888, at the age of 22, she married Patrick Casey, a constable in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), in Bocan Chapel. Patrick, originally from Sligo, was 40 at the time—nearly twice her age—and was stationed in Dristernan, likely living in the local RIC barracks. Bridget was not the first in her family to marry into the force; her sister, Mary, had also wed an RIC constable some years earlier.
Bridget and Patrick went on to have six children. But tragedy struck early—on April 3, 1898, at just 29 years old, Bridget died of typhoid fever at 2 Cavendish Street, Belfast, leaving Patrick a widower with six young children, all under the age of ten. At the time of her death, Patrick was listed as a spirit grocer.
By 1901, Patrick, now 53, was living at 15 Cawn Pore Street in the Falls area of Belfast. With him were his children: Maria Madge (13), Bedehlia (11), John P. (9), George M. (7), and Catherine (5). Also in the household was Elizabeth Wright, a 48-year-old domestic servant. Conspicuously absent from the census was Patrick’s daughter, Bridget, who would have been around 14 at the time. Her fate remains a mystery in this record, but we know she passed away in 1907 at just 17 years old. QUESTION: Where was Bridget?
By 1911, Patrick, now 61, had moved to 4 Bantry Street, where he lived with his son George (17) and daughter Catherine (16).
Patrick Casey died on February 1, 1916, at the age of 64. The cause was bronchitis and heart disease. A widower for nearly two decades, he spent his final years at 4 Lower Bantry Street in Belfast, having outlived his wife and several of his children.
